Riggins
BRONZE
This year, once again, has me thinking that State Cup is just ridiculous. Why do we take everyone of one age group and have them all drive out to a single site? All of Cal South B06 headed to Lancaster for a weekend. Then, even worse, if you advance you get to head back to Lancaster for possibly one single game. For our team that is 3 hours of driving each way.
So, how do we fix this? Well, why do we do like the college basketball? You compete more locally to determine a "Sectional Champion". Once that is complete you travel a bit further for Regional Finals. Finally, there is the big trip to the capital for the State Championship.
Consider the state broken up into sections like this. In one weekend everyone plays sectionals closer to home. Just like a normal weekend tournament. Maybe 8 teams in a section. Then the next weekend it is a new tournament. Regionals. Maybe its 16 teams and straight bracket play. Only teams losing in the first round get a consolation game so they are traveling for "one and done". That round could be at the bigger locations like Lancaster, Silver Lakes, Galloway, or the OC Great Park. Finally, the State Championship.
Seems to me this would be better in a number of ways. First, there are intermediate "champions". When my school won Sectionals we would hang a banner in the rafters. It was a big deal. Regionals even more important. Going to State, wow, that was an huge deal. It would be nice to get that building excitement into State Cup.
I'm sure there are other solutions, but making everyone drive to sites that are simply terrible this time of year -- Lancaster and their 30mph winds -- seems like the wrong plan.
So, how do we fix this? Well, why do we do like the college basketball? You compete more locally to determine a "Sectional Champion". Once that is complete you travel a bit further for Regional Finals. Finally, there is the big trip to the capital for the State Championship.
Consider the state broken up into sections like this. In one weekend everyone plays sectionals closer to home. Just like a normal weekend tournament. Maybe 8 teams in a section. Then the next weekend it is a new tournament. Regionals. Maybe its 16 teams and straight bracket play. Only teams losing in the first round get a consolation game so they are traveling for "one and done". That round could be at the bigger locations like Lancaster, Silver Lakes, Galloway, or the OC Great Park. Finally, the State Championship.
Seems to me this would be better in a number of ways. First, there are intermediate "champions". When my school won Sectionals we would hang a banner in the rafters. It was a big deal. Regionals even more important. Going to State, wow, that was an huge deal. It would be nice to get that building excitement into State Cup.
I'm sure there are other solutions, but making everyone drive to sites that are simply terrible this time of year -- Lancaster and their 30mph winds -- seems like the wrong plan.